Ranger's Lawyer
by GabbyDunk
Summary: Ranger and Stephanie meet in their 20s, under different circumstances.
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

Him -

He saw her as he jogged after the volleyball. She was sitting on a lounge chair, legs tucked up underneath her. He saw a slender form, hidden under a baggy beach cover up and loose-fitting pants. He saw tendrils of dark hair whipping around in the wind from under the giant floppy hat, but her face was mostly hidden by the hat and movie star-sized sunglasses. She looked sad and alone, and he was a sucker.

He stopped to scoop the ball up, only a few feet from her. "Hey," he said.

Her -

She'd seen the volleyball game out of her peripheral vision, but hadn't focused on it or the beautiful day at Point Pleasant. She'd been thinking about the disaster her life had become - Dickie, her mom, the wedding. Ugh! What had she been thinking?! At least she could live with herself now that she'd woken up from her stupidity coma.

She was smart! She knew it. She'd graduated at the top of her class - high school, college, and law school. She'd landed a sweet job after graduation, coveted by most of her graduating class. She worked with people she liked and respected. At 25, she knew she was a good lawyer, and her colleagues and clients respected and appreciated her. Her professional life rocked.

Her personal life was a train wreck. She'd been so focused on everything else, that she'd just floated along with Dickie. He'd been busy too, so they'd only seen each other outside of classes maybe once a week. Then they'd started at the same firm - her because she'd earned it, and him because his uncle was a senior partner - and still they'd only rarely seen each other outside of work. It'd been easy, and they got engaged because they'd been expected to get engaged. Her mom had been thrilled, and jumped right into wedding planning. Before she knew it, they'd had a date, a church, a reception venue, a band, a caterer, dresses, tuxes, and all the rest. She'd gotten whisked away in plans, paying little attention to any of it.

Looking back, she realized, she'd known - at least subconsciously - that this marriage was a bad idea. Even operating on auto pilot, she'd been wise enough to negotiate a 60-day window into all the contracts so her parents would receive full deposit refunds if they cancelled outside of the 60 days.

She'd directed her mom to cancel today. Today was 62 days before her wedding. She'd calendared the deadline on her outlook program, just like she calendared briefing deadlines. Yeah, her sub-conscience had known what was up, even if she hadn't acknowledged it.

Her mom was pissed, and told her to sleep on it. "It's such a big decision, Stephanie," she'd said. "You guys are perfect for each other." Stephanie, finally finding her figurative balls, hung up and called her dad. She told him he and her mom better start canceling or they were going to be out a lot of money. She knew it'd get done now.

Dickie, on the other hand, hadn't put up much of a fight. He was a good guy, and she figured he also knew "they" were a mistake. She'd gone to his condo early this morning, dragged him out of bed, made her confession, and handed him back the engagement ring. Since she was the one breaking it off, she'd told him to contact the travel agent. They'd already booked and paid for the Caribbean honeymoon, and she wanted him to modify it and use it. And, because she liked Dickie, she suggested he ask one of the new associates at the firm - a sweet, cute girl she knew had a thing for him - to go with him.

When the ball came rolling towards her, snapping her out of her internal musings, she almost went to reach for it. But when she looked up and saw the guy almost upon her, she stopped. She was so thankful her face was mostly covered with her beach hat and glasses, because she thought for sure she was slack-jawed and pink-faced.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

Her -

He was spectacular. A tanned, ripped-beyond-belief, god. She was tall, but he would still tower over her. He was lean, with gleaming, sweaty muscles. His dark hair was sweaty and slicked and spiky. His eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses. His black bathing suit hung low on his hips, and he held the volleyball at his right hip after he scooped it up.

"Hey," he said.

She mentally shook herself, and responded with what she hoped was a nice, normal smile.

"Hi," she said.

"You okay?"

Ugh, she thought. So much for the nice, normal smile. She probably looked like a crazy person!

"Yes, thanks. I was just thinking."

He gave her a small nod, and looked like he was going to turn to go. He hesitated, and asked, "You play volleyball?"

She snorted. "Exercise and I don't generally get along."

He raised an eyebrow and stared at her. "Babe," he said.

Babe? Is that like sweetheart, she wondered. Honey? A name to save him when he couldn't remember a woman's name the next day? Because she was guessing this guy saw a lot of action.

"My name is Stephanie."

"I'm Carlos." Hmm, light accent, she thought.

"Are you on vacation, Carlos?"

"My buddies," nodding towards the other guys on the beach, "and I are on leave for the weekend."

"Leave? Military?"

He nodded. Before he could speak, they heard, "Ranger! Ranger, come on!"

He looked back at them, and threw the ball towards them.

"Well, Ranger, I thought your name was Carlos."

His quick grin was hot. "Well, Stephanie, I'm going to call you Babe. My name is Carlos, but my work nickname is Ranger."

"Army Ranger?"

At his nod, she asked, "All of you?" That earned her another nod.

"Talkative, aren't you?" she quipped back.

Ignoring that, he sat down on the end of her lounge chair, and asked her, "What were you thinking about?"

She leaned forward and took off his sunglasses. She looked at him for a few seconds, studied his dark eyes, and decided - what the hell. "I broke off my engagement this morning."

"Why?"

"I don't want to get married."

"Sounds like a good decision then, Babe."

"I think so. But it's a long story, and it took me a long time to get to this point."

"I've got a few minutes."

She said, "I think your friends are waiting for you." When he just continued to stare at her, she started, "Okay, but stop me when you've had enough." She gave him the five-minute version of her last few years.

Him -

What was wrong with him? She snorted - snorted! - and then he called her babe? He generally avoided personal situations that put him near conflict, because his job kept him right in the middle of conflict.

He and his friends had come to Point Pleasant for a few days over the 4th of July weekend to blow off some steam and let loose a little. They'd just returned from a 12-week assignment overseas, and needed a break. His goal was to swim, hang out, drink some beer, and maybe find a hot, willing woman for a night.

He was surprised at himself when he sat down, and voluntarily talked to a stranger about her personal problems. He listened without interrupting. Finally, he said, "Life can be short, Babe. You have to do what makes you happy. Your mom will get over it, and it sounds like you and Dickie already have."

She took her glasses off and smiled at him, and he felt his heart stutter. What the fuck, he thought. Her eyes were deep blue, and her smile was wide showing perfect white teeth. She told him, "Yeah, it's just going to take a little while to fully sink in, I think."

He couldn't help himself; he tugged her hat down a little, teasing her, and said, "You were going to marry a guy named Dickie?"

She rolled her eyes, but finally gave in to the laughter.

The guys were calling for him again a few minutes later, so he stood to leave. "You sure you don't play volleyball?"

"Yep. Positive. I'll be lucky if I don't trip standing up from this chair."

He shook his head. "Don't leave without coming over there first, okay?"

She studied him a little more, and agreed.

Her -

She watched him jog back to his friends. Huh, she thought. So the god is a nice guy - go figure. He gave her a full-body tingle (something Dickie had never done) and, at the same time, was easy to be around.

She put her glasses back on, grabbed a bottle of water out of her beach bag, and watched the ocean while mentally sorting out her thoughts. Okay, maybe she also discreetly peaked over at the volleyball game a few times.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Him -

About an hour later, he waved her over. She hesitated, he could tell, so he waved again. Finally she stood and walked towards him.

Lester looked at him like he was crazy. "Dude," he said. "What's up here? Plus, what's wrong with her? She a vampire or something? Allergic to the sun? Covered in warts?"

Carlos shrugged his shoulders, "I like her." He knew this was odd behavior for him. He was more of a one-night, no conversation-type guy, and they all knew it.

When she was near, he said, "Babe, these are my friends." He introduced her to Lester, Bobby, Tank, Vince, and Hal. "We're taking a break. Come out for a swim?"

She looked like she was going to decline. Anticipating that, he said, "You can swim, right? Seems like it'd be your sport - you can just float; no chance to trip and fall."

She flipped him off, and Lester laughed. "I like her, too," he said. "Come on, Stephanie. We can always use more help annoying Ranger." Asshole, Carlos thought. Asshole precision sniper, fortunately.

Giving in, she took her hat and sunglasses off and tossed them in a pile at her feet. Long curly brown hair tumbled out, half way down her back. She looked at Carlos, and he could tell she was uncomfortable with all of them staring at her.

Silent communication had the rest of them taking off towards the water. She quickly shucked the cover up and pants, and stood there in a bright blue bikini. Lester, looking back, made a choking sound, and Tank smacked him in the back of his head.

Carlos smiled slowly, and couldn't resist teasing her again, this time tugging on a wayward curl. "Babe, I have to say, I wasn't expecting this under the burlap. Does Dickie have vision problems?"

She raised her knee as though to come after him, and he bounced back fast. He grabbed her hand, and tugged her towards the ocean.

Her -

They swam for a long time. She watched them alternately joke around and then try to drown each other in mock battle. She treaded water, consciously making an effort to avoid the action. Every once in a while, she'd come into contact with Carlos, and he'd hold her upright for a bit to give her a rest. She shivered at the feel of his hands around her waist.

When they finally got out of the water, Carlos jogged over to grab the lounge chair she'd been using and her bag. She relaxed and let the sun dry her off, while they played a pick up game of football. They were an active group, and it made her tired just watching.

She noted the closeness of the group, and guessed it came from the nature of their work. She'd learned they had landed last night, having flown in from Fort Benning, and they were there for two more nights. And she learned Carlos was the leader of their Ranger unit when they sometimes called him "boss."

She idly wondered how these guys were not mobbed with women right now on the beach. Singularly they were hot, but together they were like a pack of mythical unicorns. She shook her head at her thoughts. She hadn't slept well the night before, trying to figure out how to fix her life, and then had been up before the sun to go see Dickie. She drifted off, and woke to a shadow over her. It was Carlos, and he was all wet again from another swim. "Babe, we're going to grab some lunch up at the house. Come get something to eat."

She knew four of them were staying at the house behind them and a few over, and that Vince and Hal were staying with relatives in the area. She knew she should probably pack it in and head back home. It was the responsible thing to do. But she was enjoying her day here at the beach, and she didn't get many of them. She nodded and stood, grabbing her cover up and bag.

Five minutes later, she found the first flaw. They ate like rabbits. Who puts that many vegetables on a sandwich? She was lucky to eat one green thing a day, and only then because someone had smothered it in cheese or meat sauce. Fortunately, she'd tossed the other half of last night's meatball sub in her mini cooler. She heated it up, watching the mozzarella bubble and explode. She moaned when she took the first bite, and looked up to see a few sets of eyes staring at her. She raised her eyebrows, stared back at them, and grabbed a Dorito out of her bag. Carlos, next to her on the couch, sat frozen with his sandwich midway to his mouth, and looked at her like she had three heads.

"What? I like food. Real food." Lester came over and stole a chip.

"Bossman eats for fuel, nothing else. He doesn't appreciate the cheesy goodness of artificial chemicals and packaged fat."

She looked at Lester, and then at Carlos, and said, "That sounds like a major character flaw."

"It is," Lester assured her. He pulled her up and took her into the kitchen. Confused, she looked into the cupboard he opened. "This is mine," he told her with twinkling eyes. She saw most of her favorites - chips, Tastycakes, peanut butter, and sugary cereal! "Ranger doesn't have a cupboard. He's got the vegetable crisper." Stephanie rolled her eyes.

She picked up her phone when it rang, and cursed herself for not checking the screen before answering. "Hi mom." She made the gun to her head sign before grabbing her sub and heading out to the back patio to talk.

Him -

He watched her lean on the patio railing, listening to her mom and trying to eat her meatball sub. She licked cheese off her finger, and he grunted when he felt an elbow to his side.

"What the fuck, man?" Tank smiled.

"I'm guessing she's got a story. She's pretty, and nice enough, and kind of funny. But she's probably not a quick, string-free night."

"I know."

"Okay, just so you do. Your call. I'm going to take a nap. It'll be a nice change to sleep with the sound of waves instead of gunfire." With that, Tank stretched and left. He and Tank had met when they joined the Army at 19 years old. They'd moved through the ranks together and had been partners for six years. Tank always had his back, in battle and in life.

Carlos stood and went out to lean on the railing next to Stephanie. She was still listening, occasionally making a "hmm" sound. She silently offered him a bite of her sub, and he shook his head, causing her to roll her eyes again. Finally, she said, "Mom, look, I'm sorry you feel that way." And then, after a pause, "No, I'm not coming to dinner tonight. I'm taking a break. We'll see about the rest." She hung up.

"Hiding out, Babe?"

"Maybe."

He reached out to her, and pulled her closer to him. "Stay for dinner with me?" She looked at him, and he continued, "We're going down to the boardwalk - eat, drink, some music."

"I don't know. I feel like I'm eating up all your time. It's your vacation; you don't need to be babysitting the neurotic girl you just met."

"Babe. I'm having fun. Stay. Stay for the night. We've got lots of space. You can have my room; I'll take the couch."

"You realize this is a strange situation, right? And that a single woman, alone, having just met six men, total strangers, shouldn't agree to stay with them after only a few hours. It's like an ad for one of those 'be aware safety' videos."

"Agreed. I'll give you my gun. So stay?"

She laughed. She nodded, and he hugged her closer to him.

Her -

They went back out to the beach that afternoon, where she learned a few volleyball moves and took a few cat naps. Overall, she felt relaxed.

When the sun started to drop, they all headed in to get cleaned up. She and Carlos had already moved her car from the public lot to the house. He'd ribbed her about her Audi. She told him she worked a lot.

She had tossed a change of clothes in her car this morning before leaving her house. So she showered quickly, and pulled on her khaki shorts and tank top. Not her best "going out" look, but she was clean. Even if her hair looked a little frazzled after a day of sun and salt.

Carlos showered and came out in shorts and a t-shirt. He was less dressed up than the rest of the guys, who looked like they were ready to troll the bars, and she suspected his choice was to make her feel more comfortable. "Carlos, really, am I messing up your plans for tonight? I look like I'm ready to go to Target, not out for the night. And you guys are stuck with me. I'll scare away all the prospective women coming to check you guys out."

"Babe, you look beautiful. And I don't really care if the guys have trouble finding hookups."

"And you?"

"I've got you to scare away the women."

"Haha, funny guy. I meant, wouldn't you be out looking for a girl if I weren't here?"

He shrugged. "Maybe. But I prefer this. You. I'm glad you stayed."

Ugh, okay. When the five of them walked in to the bar / restaurant, it became apparent even her scary hair wouldn't keep the women away. Eyes turned, and she didn't blame them. This group was HOT times 100.

They ordered and ate, and she was happy when everyone except Carlos ordered real food. He had a salad, of course, with grilled chicken. They all drank. A lot. Beer came in pitchers every few minutes. She was a semi-lightweight but could hold a few hours' worth of beer. When the music turned up, she snuck off to pay for the dinner as a thank you for their hospitality. When she came back, Tank, Lester, and Bobby were stealthily checking out the women at the high tops around the dance floor. Lester and Bobby thanked her for the dinner, kissing her cheek, and took off "to catch some fish." She shook her head. Tank leaned back, and smirked. Less than a minute later, a woman appeared at their table and asked him to dance.

With him gone, she and Carlos sat close together comfortably in silence, watching Lester and Bobby out on the dance floor. Finally, she said, "Wow, they're really good. What was that? Maybe 5 minutes? And I'm betting those girls would drop their pants for them right now, right here."

He tightened his arm around her shoulders. "Babe. It's a bar. A lot of these people come here for a reason. Some to dance, and some to find a partner for the night."

"Some to run away from their life."

"Maybe. You didn't have to buy dinner, Babe. We aren't lawyers, but we do get paid."

"I wanted to. You guys have been so nice to me, letting me crash your party. I feel like a ton of bricks have been lifted off my shoulders."

When he moved his arm and started to stand, she looked weary. "What?"

"Let's dance."

"You did hear me say I'm a klutz, right? Two left feet. No rhythm."

"Don't worry about it. I've got enough for both of us."

She wasn't surprised. He pulled her out, and into the middle of the crowd. He pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her, guiding her body to the beat. She gave in and put her hands on him and held on.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

Her -

"I'm not going to sleep with you tonight."

With a quick, full smile, he responded, "You sure about that, Babe?"

"Yep," she said, popping her "p." "You could try to convince me otherwise, but I think you're too good of a guy to put much effort into it."

When he ran his hands up and down her back, pushing her slightly closer to him, and leaned into her so he could whisper in her ear, she felt herself shiver. "Maybe. I like you."

She rested her head on his chest, and told him she liked him too.

After a few songs, they went back to the table to finish their drinks. Only Tank remained, and he was just waiting for his "catch" to use the restroom before heading out.

"Last ones standing, Babe. Want to take a walk and head back?" Nodding, they told Tank they'd see him later and headed outside to the boardwalk.

When Carlos took her hand, she felt like she was in junior high. But she kept hers in his because she liked it. And when he bought her an ice cream cone from a boardwalk vendor a few blocks from the house, she felt like she was in high school. But she ate it and shared it with him because it felt right.

When they got back to the house, they were just about to sit on the couch and flip the TV on when they heard a loud moan. And then another. And a scream. And then another.

She listened, and started to open her mouth to talk when Carlos steered her outside onto the patio and shut the door.

Him -

It was all he could do to NOT laugh at the expression on Stephanie's face. He could see the wheels turning in her head, and she hasn't figured out that those were probably four separate people making those sounds. She kept looking back into the house, like she was going to be able to see what was going on behind that bedroom door.

Grabbing a lounge chair and pulling it a little closer to the water, he sat and leaned back on it and tugged Stephanie down to sit between his legs. When he wrapped his arms around her, she leaned back into his chest and relaxed.

He was content with the silence, but figured she was busy formulating her questions. A few minutes later, she flipped around so she was looking at him, and straddling him. He rested his hands on her hips and waited.

"Okay, so what was that? I mean, I KNOW what that was, but what am I missing? Who screamed? What's happening? I don't think I've ever felt compelled to scream during sex."

He stared at her, a little dumbfounded. THAT'S what's she's been contemplating? And holy shit. Never? "That sounds like a challenge, Babe. I can make you scream...when you're ready."

She smiled at him, and said, "Maybe. Someday."

They resumed their original positions and talked about nothing and everything, dozing off to the sound of crashing waves. He woke up to Tank standing by them and jerking his head towards the house. Carlos nodded, and Tank picked Stephanie up off him, waited til he was up, and handed her back to him. Carlos got them into the house, and into bed without her even stirring. She laid her head on his shoulder, and he vaguely remember thinking 'I'm fucked.'

Her -

She came awake slowly, feeling warm, and comfortable, and rested. She opened one eye and saw a tanned MUSCULAR chest under her face. She looked up and saw Carlos, staring at her. "Hi, Babe."

"Hmmm." She wasn't great in the morning. She stretched and felt her shirt shift. "Umm, Carlos, is this your shirt? Why am I wearing your shirt?"

"I like you in my shirt."

"Carlos ... "

"Okay. I only stripped you down to the equivalent of a bathing suit and put my shirt on you. I didn't see anything I hadn't already seen on the beach." And then a pause and a raised eyebrow, "Nice bra, by the way, Steph."

She buried her head in his chest and groaned. And didn't complain at all when his arms came up to wrap around her.

"Stay today, too?"

She bit her lip. She knew she couldn't hide forever and would have to go face the masses soon.

Sensing her indecision, Carlos pressed, "Come on, Babe. One more day. Sun, sand, surf." Looking out the window, "Lester in his underwear outside on the patio drinking coffee."

What? She looked over and burst out laughing. Sure enough, there he was. Hearing them, he turned and waved. And gave a quick booty shake.

"I'm not going to even care if it's Lester in his underwear that convinces you to stay."

"Speaking of underwear, you've seen mine. How come I didn't get to see yours?"

"Say yes, and I'll show you."

She nodded. He rolled over, climbed out of bed, and stood there in front of her in his boxer briefs. His very FULL boxer briefs.

How does someone even look like that? She shook her head, blinked, and looked again. Still there. "You're pretty, Carlos."

Sensing he was about to make a grab for her, she hopped up and stood on her side of the bed. "Hands off, mister. I'll stay. Can I use the shower?" She asked inching towards the door.

He nodded, rocking back and forth on his heels. She made a run for it, and got to the door before he got his hands on her, running them up just barely under the hem of her ... his shirt. "Want company? I'm good in the shower."

Groan. "No." She felt his lips on her neck, barely, and then his gentle push out the door. "Go."

When she got into the bathroom, she shut the door and let her head bang against it. Oh my god. She's at the beach. With the hottest guy on the planet. And maybe the nicest guy she'd ever met. And she wanted to crawl all over him. She dropped her head again. I'm a slut, she thought.

Twenty minutes later, she emerged fresh and dressed in her bathing suit again. Grabbing her cover up, she went in search of Carlos.


	5. Chapter 5

Hi! I'm interested in reviews/comments, as I haven't written much. I'm about a chapter or so ahead, so I could post quicker.

CHAPTER 5

Bobby -

She found Bobby alone in the kitchen. "Good morning. Where is everyone?"

He looked at this woman Ranger had brought home. She was beautiful, no question. She seemed okay, and not like a psycho. The four of them had been together for a long time now, and they'd had their share of psychos, that's for sure - usually picked up by Lester. Ranger had good instincts. He snorted to himself at that understatement. Ranger had unbelievable instincts. And this was the first time Ranger had shown any interest in a woman, other than for sex. "They went for a run." He looked at his watch. "They'll probably be gone another thirty minutes."

She wrinkled her nose up in distaste. "So, you're the only smart one then, skipping exercise while on vacation?"

He laughed, "We're in the army. We run. But, yeah, I wasn't in the mood."

She sized him up. "Want to make a donut run with me, then?"

His eyes widened. "You eat like a trucker. How are you not 300 pounds?"

"Good genes, at least for now. So, yes? I'll drive."

He shrugged, "Sure. Why not."

She smiled wide, and he smiled back. Maybe Ranger knows what he's doing, he thought, as she smacked him on his back. "That's the spirit, Bobby. Live a little."

He couldn't help it. He laughed. "You know I'm a medic, right? I take health seriously. But I can make a vacation exception."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Weren't you the one eating the DOUBLE bacon cheeseburger last night?"

He looked away, and coughed.

Thirty minutes later, he was totally sold on Stephanie. She was smart, and clever. And yeah, she liked her food. She ordered a DOZEN Boston cream donuts. A dozen! She ate the first one in the parking lot, moaning like she was in the throes of an orgasm. Ranger was toast.

They walked back in, Stephanie holding her box of donuts like her prized possession, and saw the rest of them on the patio.

Lester came in, grabbed a bottle of Gatorade, and nodded to me. "Ranger's on the phone with Riggs."

Her -

She watched the byplay between Bobby and Lester, and figured they needed a minute. Whatever Carlos was doing, it was important. She went in to the kitchen, and plated another donut. One minute later, Lester popped his head around the corner and stared at her. "Jesus, Stephanie. Have some mercy."

Lester -

She had cream filling on the side of her mouth, and smiled at him. He smiled at the irony of Ranger hooking up with a woman who ate like a 5 year old. A lawyer who ate like a 5 year old, he thought. And moaned like a porn star.

"Everything okay," she asked?

"Yeah. We can go on vacation, but we're never totally off duty. Ranger especially."

"Why is he different?"

He thought about his answer for a minute, figuring Ranger could tell her what details he wanted. "He's the unit leader. He's good. He's so good that he took over the unit about two years ago, becoming the youngest leader in Ranger history. He's a good strategist, and the 'powers that be' want his input in planning ops. That's what he's doing now - talking to the general."

She nodded, sobered. "He's a good guy, isn't he?"

Lester smiled. "He is. You picked well."

She blushed. Lucky bastard, he thought.

Him -

He walked into the house after hanging up with General Riggs, no longer dripping sweat but still glistening from his run. He saw Stephanie standing in the kitchen about to bite into a donut. She did, and closed her eyes and moaned loudly. He felt his body react, and approached her. When she opened her eyes, he was within touching distance. He wiped the excess cream off her bottom lip and sucked his finger into his mouth. She licked her lip where he'd just touched. "Hi," she said, her eyes roaming over him.

"Hi," he said back. He leaned down and lightly kissed her lips, tugging on her bottom lip with his teeth. He was smug when he got the same moan as the donut.

He looked at the box. "Babe, I've been gone for less than an hour. How many donuts have you eaten?"

She looked down at the box, and back at him. "A few. They're delicious."

He shook his head. "I'm going to take a quick shower. I'll be right back." He paused and looked at her, raising a single eyebrow, "Unless you want to join me?"

He watched her internal mental gymnastics, and knew her answer before she said it. "Be back in a few." He dragged himself into the bathroom, knowing how he'd be spending the first few minutes of the shower.

Her -

She watched him go, and jammed the rest of the donut into her mouth.

She knew it was too soon. Too soon for her to re-engage fully into the dating world. Her mind told her that, but her body was putting up a fight. She was a little surprised at the power with which her body was responding, because she'd never felt much besides mild interest with Dickie. Right now she felt like she'd combust any moment.

Tank -

"I smell donuts."

She turned to see Tank coming around the corner. "You like donuts?"

"They're my weakness. But I just ran 10 miles and can justify it. May I have one?"

"Yes! Have a few! I'll puke if I eat all of them. And I'm betting you're back to rabbit food later today, so splurge now!"

He chuckled, and grabbed one. "Oh my god."

Happy to have a like-minded friend, she said, "I know, right!"

"This is a good donut. I may go run another 10 miles, and have another."

"I had three, and only walked the 10 feet from the car to the bakery."

He stared at her. Yep, he thought, Ranger's polar opposite.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

Her -

They'd spent the day similar to yesterday. The guys had dragged out an umbrella from a storage closet for her so she didn't end up looking like a tomato. She sat under the umbrella reading a book and watching them play their various sports. Carlos would randomly come over and talk, or drag her out to swim. His talks usually started with him running his hands up her lower leg and ended with his hands rubbing back and forth on her thighs. Their swims usually started with splashing and ended with her arms wrapped around him holding on. It was a good day, and she was certain she'd remember it for a long time to come.

They had also met another group down the beach - a family reunion with a lot of young, mid-20 year old cousins. They were a loud, fun, and drunk group, and they'd invited them all down to a bonfire later that night for the 4th of July and fireworks. The guys accepted the invite, and Carlos negotiated for her to stay another night too. His negotiation technique involved him dragging her back to the house "to get drinks." She found herself lifted up onto the kitchen counter and pressed tightly into his body, while he kissed and nuzzled her neck. She agreed she'd stay that night and go home Monday when they all left. It was a long holiday weekend for her, but she needed to get home at a decent time to prep for Tuesday's mediation. And Carlos and Lester, who she learned today were cousins, had to go visit with their parents in Newark before hopping on a military cargo flight back to Georgia that night.

She admitted to herself Carlos really hadn't needed a tough sell to get her to stay. She felt herself becoming more and more attached to him. They'd flirted and gotten a little handsy, but they hadn't done much else. He'd only kissed her the one time that morning. She knew he was only pushing as far as he thought she was comfortable. Even so, he seemed to be okay with her self-imposed limits, and still wanted her around instead of joining the guys on the prowl.

She and Carlos broke off from the group for dinner, choosing instead to walk to a beachside restaurant. They watched the sun set from the restaurant patio in a comfortable silence while they waited for their table. Finally, he spoke, "I'm glad Lester missed that ball yesterday, Babe. So we could meet and be here now." She smiled at him, and lifted on her toes to whisper, "Me too." She leaned in and kissed him, resting her hands on his face. After a second, he deepened it, and she clung to him.

They ate, and walked back to the house in the dark. The guys were packing up chairs and a cooler for the bonfire, so Stephanie grabbed a light blanket and some other things.

She and Carlos had a few beers, and talked to some of the people there. After a while, they retreated to their lounge chair and relaxed. People watching, when you were watching drunk people, was excellent. They saw keg stands, arm wrestling, arguing, dancing, kissing, and some serious making out. This was a fascinating family. She turned her head to whisper that she felt like she was back in college. He looked at her, and smirked. "What?" she asked. He told her he was trying to picture her doing a keg stand. She assured him she was quite flexible, despite her clumsiness, and enjoyed watching his eyes go darker.

It got chilly as it got later. When it came time for the fireworks, Steph was leaning against Carlos, covered in her blanket. She thought he might be warm, but didn't think he'd complain now that his hands could move unseen under the blanket. He'd wrapped his arms around her, leaving his hands free to slide up and down her torso. Every once in a while, she felt his fingers skim the sides of her breasts. Her heart was pounding, and she was sure he could feel it despite the resounding firecracker booms. She took a breath, and moved her hands to his legs surrounding her on either side.

Him -

This weekend hadn't turned out how he'd imagined. He never would have pictured himself cuddled up on a beach chair, fully clothed, with an equally-clothed woman, watching fireworks, surrounded by a bunch of strangers. But he was, and he was hard as a rock.

He skimmed the sides of Steph's breasts, dragging his fingers lightly up and down. Every time he did it, she squirmed a little, which made her ass rub against his dick. Her hands were lightly stroking his thighs, stopping every few seconds to turn her fingers inwards. He had never considered how erotic just touching could be. But it was, and he was slightly worried he'd embarrass himself.

He knew she wasn't ready for a full-on physical relationship yet. But this was a decent substitute. He moved his hands up her ribcage and under her breasts, rubbing the under-curve. She inhaled sharply, and turned her head to lay by his face. "Babe," he whispered.

When the finale lit up the sky, they stared at each other and smiled.

"Ready to get out of here?"

"Yep," she said. She pushed herself up off him and stood. He grabbed the lounge chair in one hand and her hand in the other.

Her -

Once they dropped the chair off by their patio steps, they continued walking down the beach in the moonlight.

She slowed, and looked over at him. "I feel like we're running out of time."

"Babe?"

"We wake up tomorrow, and basically pack and go our separate ways. I...umm, I've kind of gotten used to being with you." She was biting her lip and waiting for his reaction to her worrying.

He tugged on her hand, pulling her closer to him. "I'm assuming you agree we'll be together when we can work it with our schedules. Or, were you thinking this was a one-time thing?"

"No!"

He smiled, "No, what, Steph?"

"I don't do one-time things! At least I haven't. But I don't want a one-time thing. I guess we just play the rest by ear then?"

"I think we have to. Starting Tuesday, we're in full planning mode for our next op, and then we're gone for a while. I can't be real specific, but I'd guess a few weeks."

Taking that in, Steph bit her lip some more. "So, you can call me when you're back?"

"Yeah, although that doesn't necessarily mean I'll be able to see you right away. We've generally got a lot of debriefing time and sometimes we have to jump in to the next assignment." He paused. "Listening to this, I don't sound like a great catch. I'm not going to lie; it'll be complicated as fuck. Sorry, Steph. Are you willing to put up with this lifestyle? I should have asked that first."

"Yes! We can deal with whatever we need to, but I just want to have a clear understanding from the beginning. I work a lot too, so I'm no prize either."

"You're my prize, Babe," he said smiling at her.

"Haha. That was an easy set up."

They walked for a little longer before turning around and heading back. The house was still dark and silent, as they made their way to his room.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7 -

Him -

He woke to her half on top of him again, with her face buried in his neck. His hand was on her ass holding her tight to him. He held on, and thought about what this all meant now, while she slept on.

He wasn't kidding Steph when he said this wouldn't be easy. He lived on a military base, and was on call most of the time. This week they had time to plan, but often they got called and went in with much less notice. His life really didn't lend itself to a relationship. She was working to rise in her firm and had a constant calendar of obligations and deadlines. She couldn't just drop everything when he called. Add in the fact that they lived almost 1,000 miles apart, and the odds of this working out well weren't great. He was a realist, and looked at probabilities without rose-tinted glasses.

He shook it off mentally, and figured they'd do their best. It would be a new experience for him - being in any kind of relationship.

His thoughts drifted back to last night. She'd gone into the bathroom and emerged in his t-shirt and smelling minty fresh. He'd gone in after her and emerged in boxer shorts and smelling minty and Bulgari fresh. He'd slid in under the covers and pulled her into him, giving her control. Her hands had gone to his chest and rubbed over his arms, and around and down over his stomach and abs. She'd licked his neck, and sucked gently in the curve. She'd moved up to his mouth, and ran her tongue around his lips. She'd spent a lot of time just kissing him, and when she'd pushed herself up to get better leverage, he'd lifted and straightened her hips to straddle him. They'd kissed and rocked back and forth on each other, until Stephanie had finally leaned back and rubbed against him harder. He'd gripped her hips and thrust against her until she was moaning and he was gritting his teeth. He'd shifted his thumbs forward so they just barely scraped across the front of her thong. On a loud, low moan, he'd heard, "Carrrrrlllllooooossss." He'd pushed himself up and pulled her down hard, and they'd both lost control.

Steph had been all flushed afterwards, and fell asleep on him minutes after.

Later that morning, she pulled out of the driveway and gave him a smile and a salute. He grinned and saluted her back.

Right after, he and Lester threw the rest of their stuff in the rental, and headed towards Newark. Their mothers were sisters, and they'd grown up a block apart. They hugged and kissed their parents, siblings, cousins, aunts, and uncles, and sat down to a backyard barbecue before heading to the local military strip and hopping a plane. He thought of Steph as the plane took off, and wondered what she was doing.

Her -

Steph had jumped right into her mediation prep and was ready to rock before dinner. She actually kind of wished there was more work to do, to keep her mind off Carlos.

She was just about to microwave a pizza when her neighbor texted about Chinese food. She considered quickly, and figured company might keep her from moping.

Thirty minutes later she and her neighbor and friend Mike were sitting on her couch eating Chinese and watching Seinfeld re-runs, while his dog slept at their feet. Ironically, Steph thought, they had spent more time like this over the last 6 months or so than she'd spent with Dickie. Stupid, Steph.

Mike was a lawyer, at a different firm, a good friend, and totally obsessed with Lana, a law clerk for a federal judge. Unfortunately for Mike, the Lovely Lana, as they'd dubbed her, didn't exactly return the sentiment. She felt bad for him, but he kept at it. He also wasn't surprised she'd dumped Dickie, and told her it was the right move. She knew that, but ugh!

An hour and a half later Mike was on his way out the door, when her phone rang and she grabbed it. "Catch you later, Steph. Good luck tomorrow." She waved him out. She was surprised to hear Carlos' voice. "Hi! This is a surprise," she said. "Are you home?"

"Just walked in the door. How was work?"

"I finished it a few hours ago. I was getting a little twitchy being away from you so I agreed when a friend suggested Chinese. I gorged myself on Kung pao chicken. I feel better now hearing your voice. Pathetic, I know. How was Newark?"

"It was good. And it's not pathetic. I called you as soon as I got home. Maybe I'm the pathetic one."

"Ha. You and that word don't belong in the same sentence!"

Him -

"Hmmm. Maybe. But this may change that."

"Huh?"

He felt like an idiot, but he knew that was a guy's voice he heard when she picked up. They hadn't discussed them being together exclusively. They discussed them getting together when they could. And that was the best of both worlds, wasn't it? What was wrong with him? He flopped his head back on his couch and shut his eyes. She was making him into a blathering pussy. He tried to tell her what he was thinking, doing what he could to sound more like the army ranger he was and less like the giant lovelorn pussy he was becoming.

He started, "You and I - we're together, right?"

"I thought so. Why, what's up? Second thoughts?" Now she sounded worried. He was screwing this up.

"No. None."

"So, I'm confused. I thought we were pretty clear last night."

"Yeah, I thought we were. Then I heard a guy's voice when you answered and it sent my mind off in a bunch of different directions. I've found a gap in our discussion. This is where the pathetic part comes in."

"You're jealous."

"I think so." He'd been in jungle warfare less stressful than this, he thought.

"The gap is exclusivity, isn't it?" Steph's smart.

"Yep," he said popping his "p" like she did sometimes.

"Do you want me to address that?"

"Sure." Please.

"I don't want anyone but you." Thank god.

"I don't either," he said. "And I wasn't suggesting you'd done anything wrong. It just clicked when I heard the voice."

"I get it. I work in a largely male-dominated industry. As a result, I've got a lot of male friends."

"I don't have any woman friends."

"I'm not sad to say that I'm glad to hear that!"

"Babe."

"So, crisis averted?"

"Yeah. I feel like I should go beat someone up after this. I need to regain my man card."

"I felt your man card this morning when I woke up. I'm hoping it's still there."

"You're killing me, Steph."

"While we're making asses of ourselves, I've got one. I made a mistake."

"What's that?"

"I put up an invisible boundary for sex. You saw it and respected it. I shouldn't have. Now we're a thousand miles apart with probably at least a month of time separating us. I'm regretting that, and I'm sorry."

"Steph, it's fine. You needed time. We've got time. This weekend was perfect." He paused. "Plus, there's always phone sex."

"Carlos!"

"That's the spirit, Babe. Practice shouting my name."

"Ugh. You can't see me, but I'm banging my head on a wall."

"Don't bang too hard. I like it the way it is."

"I'll talk to you later this week, sometime."

"Yeah, I'll call when I can. Probably at night."

"Stay safe, Carlos."

Sooooooooooooo, almost 500 people read the last chapter and only 5 people reviewed!


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8 -

Her -

They'd talked a few times over the next couple of days, but it was mostly quick calls. Carlos and the guys took off earlier than expected for reasons she didn't know.

She plodded along through July. She missed Carlos, but she was busy and time went by fast.

On the first Friday of August, she got a text. "I'm in the air on the way home, Babe." She let out a whoosh of air and stared at her phone.

"Thank god. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. We're all good."

"I've missed you."

"Me too. We'll be debriefed today, and I'll have more meetings tomorrow morning."

"Are you free until Monday after that?"

"I think so."

"Can I come to you? Am I allowed? I can fly in Saturday afternoon, and fly out Sunday night."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Yes. Send me your flight info. If I can't pick you up, one of the guys will."

"Perfect. Give me a few."

She went online, booked a flight, and texted him back within 10 minutes. She was so excited, and felt like a weight she hadn't even realized she was carrying lifted.

She gave Lester a giant hug when she saw him outside the terminal the next day. "I'm so glad you guys are all back."

"It's good to see you, Steph. Ranger is pissed; he got pulled into one more meeting last minute but he should be done by the time we get back."

"Great. Thanks for picking me up. It's so hot here!"

"Yeah, it's not New Jersey."

As they pulled through the security at the base, she looked around like a a kid in a candy factory. There was so much going on.

After a few quick turns, Lester stopped the truck. She looked at him, wondering what they were doing. He looked around her and pointed.

She followed his finger, and saw Carlos. Her heartbeat picked up. He was in camo pants and a black t-shirt with the same dark sunglasses, talking to another man in full uniform. He looked so strong, and so badass.

She opened the door and was half way out when she turned to look at Lester.

"Don't worry, Steph. I'll drop your stuff at his place."

She waved and took off, alternating between jogging and walking across the lawn.

Him -

He saw her coming towards him, and abruptly ended his conversation with the general. They'd dragged an extra hour out of him, and he was done.

His chest was beating a mile a minute, but he stood there and crossed his arms over his chest waiting for her to reach him. She was beautiful. Hot as hell in a skirt, legs a mile long in high, high heels. Her hair was tied back, and he couldn't wait to get his hands in it.

When she got within a foot, he reached for her. "Babe."

"Carlos."

He grinned, pulled her into his arms and kissed her. He didn't care that he'd take shit for this later when the gossip mills circulated it.

"You're here."

"I am." Looking around, "Where is here exactly?"

He nodded his head backwards. "Offices. Come on, let's get out of here. Where's your stuff?" He smiled, "Decide to do a weekend with one set of clothes again?"

"Funny guy. Lester said he'd take it to your place."

He nodded. Keeping his arm around her still, he asked her if she could walk a few blocks in those shoes.

She wagged her eyebrows at him and said, "If I say no, will you carry me?"

"Steph, I'd do just about anything for you right now."

"Awwwe. You did miss me."

"I did. A lot."

"Show me, when we get there?"

"Babe." He took her arm and almost dragged her down the street and over a block.

He grabbed her bag on his step, unlocked the door, and pulled her in.

His mouth was on hers and his hands in her hair as soon as the door was shut. She untucked his shirt and ran her hands up his stomach to his chest. She pulled it up, and he helped her by ripping it over his head. His movements were jerky, and he made an effort to slow down.

But Steph wasn't having it. She was in just as much a hurry as him. He had her shirt over her head, and was working on her skirt when she put her hands over his.

"Hang on," she said, catching her breath. "I think you might like this." She unbuttoned and unzipped her skirt and let it fall down her legs slowly. She carefully stepped out of it, leaving her standing there in a black push up bra, thong, garter belt, and high heels.

He looked down at her, and sighed. He sighed! "Steph. You're so beautiful." He bent down, picked her up, and carried her to his bedroom. "I've dreamed of having you here, like this," he told her, as he kissed her.

He spent the next hour making love to her. It was more than a little outside of his experience, with him more used to the rare night of fast uncommitted sex, but they were good together. He had figured they would be.

Her -

She felt limp, like someone had just massaged every part of her body over and over again. She'd never had that many orgasms in a year, much less an hour.

Carlos was amazing, and a god - just as she initially suspected. His body in its full naked form was enough to render her speechless. When he was first inside her, she was positive she was going to break in half. He was THAT big.

She stretched, and turned toward him. He was laying with one arm behind his head and the other dragging across her stomach. "I think that was worth the wait," she told him. He smiled at her. "That's some body you have there, Carlos."

"Back at you, Babe. I'm going to check it out in more detail soon, and tonight, and tomorrow."

"Sounds thorough. So, what's our plan? You mentioned meeting up with the guys at some point?"

"Yeah, they want to see you. I don't want to share you, but I figured if we went to dinner with them tonight, that'd be pretty quick and we can come back here pretty early."

"Sounds perfect. So we have, what, another hour before we have to get cleaned up?"

"Yep," he said.

"Okay, then do me a favor?" He raised an eyebrow. "Just lay there and look pretty," she told him as she pushed him flat on his back and straddled him.

She started by his mouth and worked her way down, slowly, licking, biting, nipping, sucking, until she reached just above his delectable dick. She veered to the side over his hip and down his leg, back up the other leg, until she was hip level again. He was squirming a little, and breathing heavier than when he ran 10 miles. "Carlos?"

"Hmmm?"

"I love your dick. It's so pretty," she said before she licked it from the bottom to the tip.

"My dick isn't pretty."

"Ummm, I'm the one with the close up view, and I say it is. It's so hard," she told him before she lightly bit and nipped it up and down the side and over the tip.

"It is ... hard. I'll give you that," he managed to get out.

"It's so big...and delicious," she whispered before sucking him in as far as she could.

He was beyond speech at that point, and just made a strangled groan sound. She slid her hands under his ass, and lifted him up slightly, allowing her to take more and suck harder. He was moaning and, within seconds, came hard down her throat.

"Carlos?"

"Unnh."

"What's that, Carlos?"

"Babe," he said after a minute, "I think you may have just sucked my brain out my dick."

"I hope not. Your brain is what keeps you safe," she said, running her hands through his hair and breathing him in at his neck.

Him -

"I'm safe enough right here, Steph. You, on the other hand, are not."

She pulled back and looked at him. He smiled and scooped her up and off the bed.

He carried her into the bathroom and sat her down on the counter. "Time to spread them, Babe."

"What?! What does that mean?"

He pushed her legs apart, stepping between them. "Stay." He kissed her. "Just." He kissed her. "Like." He kissed her. "This." He kissed her.

He went to work licking, biting, nipping, and sucking, just like she'd done to him.

He looked up at her - her back arched, her head back, and her hair tumbling down - and felt his heart jolt. He knew he'd gladly be a pussy forever if he got to stay right where he was now. Ironic, he thought, given his current position.

Soon, she was screaming his name, just like he'd promised that first night.

Out of time, they showered quickly, with no funny business, and headed to dinner.


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9 -

Her -

She was a little overwhelmed when they got to the restaurant and walked up to a full table of giants. There were 11 guys there, and she only knew Tank, Bobby, Lester, Hal, and Vince. She hugged them first. And was super embarrassed when Lester looked at her and exclaimed, "Whoa, Stephanie! Look at you! You're glowing! Ranger's on his game."

She was pleased when Tank smacked him. And then not so pleased when she heard Tank tell Carlos, "She IS glowing," and saw them fist bump. Men!

She learned this was Carlos' entire unit, and they wanted to meet her. Word got out that "Ranger's woman" was in town. She wasn't sure how she felt about being labeled someone's woman.

Carlos looked a little surprised, too, but took her around and introduced her to each guy and gave a quick - and funny - story about each. She could see he was a well-liked leader, and he took the hoots, hollers, and wolf whistles in stride when he put his arm around her and they walked to their seats.

They ate, drank, and had a really good time. Towards the end, Carlos leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Don't you dare buy this dinner, Babe."

She laughed, and whispered back, "I'm tempted. They all love you so much!"

"Babe, they don't love me. They respect me."

"They love you. I love you, so I can tell when others do too." Her eyes widened, when she realized what she'd just said.

"Steph."

Him -

He was mildly surprised to see his whole unit at the table when they walked in, but not shocked. Lester and Bobby hadn't been able to keep their fucking mouths shut when they got back from the beach. They'd all heard some Steph stories, and wanted to meet the woman who "whipped Ranger," as Lester the Jackass had told it.

He took her around, and introduced the people most important in his professional life to the person most important in his personal life. He gave a few of them the death glare when he caught them checking Steph out. Not that he could blame them, because she looked hot in her layered sleeveless shirts, short jean skirt, knee high boots, and big silver hoop earrings, with her hair all curly and wild. He'd already told her how much he liked the boots. And fuck if Lester and Tank weren't right - she was glowing.

Dinner went well, and Steph had a good time. When they started whispering about his guys, and how she thought they loved him, he barely suppressed an eye roll.

"Babe, they don't love me. They respect me."

"They love you. I love you, so I can tell when others do too." He saw her eyes widen, and panic set in her face.

He tuned everyone and everything else out, and looked at her. "Steph," he whispered back. He put his mouth directly over hers and said it back, "I love you too, Stephanie." And he kissed her - really kissed her - heedless of their audience.

He ended the kiss when the whistles penetrated his brain. He looked up, and flicked all of them off.

Steph hid her face in his shoulder, and finally looked up when her laughter took over. She stood and started making her way around the table, hugging the original group of guys, shaking hands with the rest. "This has been fun, guys! It was so nice to meet you all. We've got to get going now."

He sat and stared at her with a full-wattage smile. He knew he'd hear more about being whipped and dragged around by his girlfriend, but he didn't really care.

When she reached for his hand, he took hers and stood. She gave a wave and turned to the door. He looked back at the guys, "Sleep tight, guys." They all groaned, knowing he was off to bed with Steph. Maybe he wouldn't hear about this, because who could blame him for following.


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10 -

Her -

She was in a hurry initially to get out of the restaurant and get home, but was quickly charmed with the little town with its white twinkling lights and old trees. They'd had to park a few blocks away, so she slowed her pace back to normal.

"Did I embarrass you in there? I should have thought first about undermining you in front of co-workers."

"Babe, it's fine. My authority is still intact. Besides, as you pointed out, they love me."

She gave him a look. "I didn't mean to blurt that out. It's how I feel, but I know it's too soon."

"It's not too soon. And I feel the same way. I almost said it this afternoon."

"During sex?"

"Maybe."

"Is this okay?" she asked, indicating their joined hands. "Are you comfortable holding my hand in public? I'm more aware of my surroundings right now, and I can see some people looking at us."

"Steph, breathe. Everything is fine. Better than fine. It's a small town, mostly filled by people from the base. Gossip is what it is."

"Ugh, I know. I'm sorry. I'm unraveling."

"I don't want you unraveling over this. I want you unraveling under me, in about 10 minutes."

She squeezed his hand, and picked up the pace again.

She rubbed his thigh while he drove, her hand inching up after every pass. After a minute, she leaned in and told him she'd always fantasized about doing something. "What's that, Babe?" he asked in a deeper than normal voice. "I've always wanted to go down on someone driving, but I never found the right guy." Her hand was rubbing on his zipper. "I think you might be the right guy," she said as she unzipped his jeans. "I think you should take the long way home, and drive very, very carefully," she told him. "Mmmmm," she moaned, as she leaned down and sucked him in.

He leaned back, giving her more room, but had yet to speak. His hand rubbed down her back and into the back of her skirt down over her ass for a second and then back up to her head. "Unnmmmm," he groaned.

Him -

He stared hard at the road, trying to focus as Steph sucked his dick like a fucking vacuum. He would never have guessed, in a million years, that Steph would fantasize about road head, of all things. It was a first for him, and we was doing his best not to crash the truck into a wall. His hands roamed her body briefly, but decided he'd better focus on driving.

He groaned, and felt himself tighten up. He stopped at a stop sign, and put the truck in park just in time before his dick exploded. Steph sucked down hard, and he jerked up and saw stars.

He was brought out of his daze by a honking horn. He managed to put the truck back into drive and finish the last block home.

She leaned in again, and said, "Carlos?"

"Yeah, Babe?"

"I've got another fantasy." He stared at her and waited. She leaned in, put her hand on his thigh, and licked his neck. When she leaned in further, her hand slid up, and her mouth touched his ear. "About being fucked up against the front door. It seems so ... urgent and needy." She licked his neck again. "Can you fuck me up against the front door? Please?"

He couldn't believe his ears. He went to hop out of the truck, when he felt her hand on his arm. "You'd better put that thing away first. I don't want anyone else to see it - I don't share." Sure enough, his dick was still out of his jeans. "Oh, and one more thing," she said, "I'm not wearing any underwear."

He was hard as a fucking rock again already. Urgent and needy wouldn't be an act for him - she was driving him mad. He came around to her side, lifted her out, dragged her to the door, opened it, lifted her up, hiking her legs around his waist, stepped in, shut the door, and leaned her back against the door while he pushed her skirt up, opened his pants, and slid into her. He pounded her into the door so hard he knew he'd feel bad later, but she was right there with him urging him on and grabbing his ass to move him harder. A minute later they both came on a scream, and slid down the door.

Steph burst out laughing. "Oh my god. I can't believe we just did that. It was so hot!"

He rested his head against the door. "Your back is going to be a mess later. I won't be surprised if you're imprinted into the door. But, yeah, it was hot." He paused. "You know what else it was, was unprotected."

They'd talked about sex and protection over the phone before he left in July. She'd mentioned that she was going to get the shot, and she did. They'd also both assured the other that they were clean. Still, they'd used a condom earlier today.

"We're good. I got the shot, and it's effective by now. I still think condoms are a good back up, but we should be okay with an occasional slip up."

"If you get in this mood often, Babe, we're going to have A LOT of slip ups. Stay on track with those shots!"

"The good news, Carlos, is that I think I probably sucked most of your baby-makers out 10 minutes ago. Surely this was a light load."

He laughed at her. "So no underwear? This skirt is awfully short." He rubbed his fingers under it. "What if you'd had to bend over for something? I'd have had to beat the shit out of all my men to get that picture out of their minds."

Her -

They slept in short bursts through the night. Her favorite wake up call occurred around 3:00 in the morning when he'd slid into her from behind and rocked them both over the edge again. It was sleepy and slow, and amazing. And it had been another slip up.


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

Her -

She'd run her idea for Labor Day weekend by Carlos that morning, and he'd said it could probably work. She didn't understand how or when they got time off, so she'd just have to rely on him to tell her when he couldn't do something. She stared at him when he said those couple days in July had been the first days they'd taken off this entire year.

"What? Oh my god. Maybe you guys should go on a real vacation then, and not waste it on New Jersey again!"

"Babe, I've been all over the world, multiple times. I'm good with New Jersey. Plus, this will work out good. You can meet my family." He looked smug at the thought, probably because she must have looked slightly nauseous. "You don't want to meet them?"

"Uh, it's not really that. But then you have to meet mine, and they are a train wreck."

"It'll be fine. Time to work out," he laughingly told her as he opened the base gym door for her. He'd given her the option for them to go or not to his regular morning workout with the guys. Duh, she had no plans to exercise but, hello, who would pass on seeing a group of Army Rangers all sweaty? Not her!

She'd packed yoga pants and sneakers, but borrowed a t-shirt from Carlos when he nixed her sports bra top. He'd had an old army one from a few years ago that was smaller, and plus she now had "Manoso" over her left breast. She was pretty sure she was going to steal it when she left.

He suggested she hop on the treadmill. She lifted her eyebrows at him and stared. "What? This way you can do something and still watch us, which I know, by the way, is the only reason you agreed to come."

"That," she said pointing at the treadmill, "is a dangerous instrumentality. Particularly when combined with me."

"Babe, you just walk on it. Walk slow. You won't fall off."

By this time, half his unit was there taking in the byplay. "Famous last words. Okay. But someone better have the base medic on speed dial, or a hair dresser when my hair somehow gets caught in these rolly things."

"I'm here, Steph. I'll grab a pair of scissors and keep them close," Bobby told her.

She stuck her tongue out at all of them, and went to work. She had to admit she didn't even realize she'd walked for almost an hour when they took a break from sparring. It was like watching live art, with their muscles bunching and gleaming. Carlos was obviously the best, she thought in her own bias, but they were all amazing to watch.

"Doing okay, Babe?"

"Yep. I'm gonna hit the restroom and grab a drink." He told her he needed another 20 minutes and they'd be done.

A guy stopped her on the way back to Carlos. He introduced himself as Spencer. She was just saying hello, when Les walked over. "Beat it, Santos," Spencer said. Lester laughed, but, she noticed, not in the usual way. Bad vibe, she thought. "You're going to want to take a few large steps backward, man," Les said.

"Why? She looks like a smart woman capable of making her own decisions."

Steph decided this was ridiculous. "SHE is standing right here and can hear you."

"Sorry, honey." Eewww, Spencer, she thought.

"And this is why you'll never get through Ranger school, dude. Be aware of your surroundings."

At Spencer's confused look, Les pointed at my shirt. He paled. "Excuse me, ma'am."

"What? Ma'am? What the hell, Les?"

"Come on, Steph," he said, taking her arm. "Spencer here has just realized your boyfriend can kill him 100 different ways before he blinks. It's caused him to find his manners. Ranger will be pleased."

Walking away, she told him, "I feel like I'm branded."

"You are. You're off limits, and everyone either knows that or will soon know that. I told you before, Ranger holds a lot of power here."

"Ugh, whatever. On a happier note, I wanted to talk to you and Bobby and Tank about Labor Day. I want to invite you guys and Carlos to come stay with me for the long weekend, if you can get the time off. We can flex the dates if you need to, and you guys can stay as long as you can get free. I live within walking distance of good restaurants and bars. I think it'd be fun. So, think about it?"

He looked uncomfortable. "Sure, Stephanie, thanks. As long as Ranger is cool with it. We wouldn't want to be the 3rd, 4th, and 5th wheels."

"Haha. I've got a decent-sized townhouse, you'd each have your own room. And he's fine with it."

"He is," she heard from behind her. Carlos, smiling.

Lester relaxed, and put his arm over her shoulder. "So tell me about the women there? I like to plan ahead."

Steph rolled her eyes, but the women of Trenton were in for a treat!

She'd talked to both Bobby and Tank on her way out, and they had a tentative plan. She wanted them to have a good time and would make plans.

She and Carlos spent the rest of the day mostly in bed before she had to leave for the airport around dinner. They'd stopped and ate, and had a 10-minute make out session in the car before she reluctantly got out. He kissed her one last time, and told her he loved her.

Him -

He watched her walk away, and it sucked. More now than it had last month in New Jersey. He'd been right - the distance was a killer.

He and the guys had been talking this past year about the future. They were here until next summer, and they'd either re-sign or not. His goal was to maneuver a deal where they'd technically be out of the Army, but could take ops on a case-by-case basis. Their lives wouldn't change significantly but they'd have more freedom. And that was going to be key, because Steph was around to stay for the foreseeable future.

He'd promised to let her know when they'd confirmed leave for Labor Day and when he was going to be out of contact over the next month. Yep, he thought, this was a full-fledged relationship, with reporting responsibilities. Who would have thought?


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

Him -

While July flew by, August crept by so slowly they both thought they'd lose their minds.

He was gone about half the time, and stuck on a "monitoring" op, which was mind numbing and gave him plenty of time to think about and miss Steph.

When it was finally almost time to head to Trenton, he gave up the fight and hopped on an earlier transport. He'd get there about 2 hours sooner than she was expecting him.

Her -

She'd had a long, brutal month. She agreed to an early happy hour because it would keep her mind off the last few hours until Carlos and the guys arrived.

She sat at their regular bar with a beer, listening to everyone tell stories about the ridiculous shit that had happened to them that week. As relatively new lawyers, there was never a lack of fun material.

When her phone rang, she saw it was Carlos. Please don't be canceling, please don't be canceling, she repeated in her head. She answered, "Hi!"

"Hey, Babe. How are you?"

"Good. Unless you're calling to tell me you can't come."

"Nope. In fact, I'm here early. I'm on my way to you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Are you home?"

"No. I'm at a bar close to home though. I can be home in 10."

"What's the bar? I think I'm close."

She gave it to him, and sure as shit he was walking through the door two minutes later. She was up and running to him a second later.

"I can't believe you're here finally! I missed you!" She hugged him, and he leaned down to kiss her while holding what was clearly an army duffle bag. Traveling light, like her, she thought, smiling.

"Come with me. I'll introduce you to a few people, grab my bag, and we can get out of here."

"Sounds good."

She took his hand, and then paused again. "Ummm, a little warning - Dickie is here."

She smiled when Carlos just smirked.

She pulled him the rest of the way across the bar, and introduced him to some of her best friends. The guys stood up to shake hands with Carlos, and the girls worked to keep their mouths from falling open. She'd told them he was hot, but she guessed there were a lot degrees of hotness - and Carlos was off the damn chart.

Dickie stood, looked at him, and shook his head. "Nice to meet you, man. I'm glad to see Steph so happy."

Carlos thanked him, and it was all good. Even Dickie could see the difference between them. Dickie was standing there in his Brooks Brothers suit, and looked, well, kind of ... dinky next to Carlos, who dominated in just jeans and a long-sleeved white button down with his sleeves rolled up.

They excused themselves, saying they'd see all of them later that night. Steph had arranged a bar/club night, but they had a few hours before that. And the other guys would be there in about two hours.

They almost made it to the door when she bumped into someone. Damn it, she thought. She looked up and saw Judge Smith. "Hello, Ms. Plum."

"Hi, Judge Smith. Umm, I'd like you to meet my boyfriend Carlos Manoso."

He looked at Carlos' duffle and asked "Army?"

"Yes, sir."

"Where are you stationed?"

"Fort Benning."

"Rangers?"

"Yes, sir."

"How long are you here?"

"I fly out Tuesday morning."

"Well, enjoy your visit. Nice meeting you. See you soon, Ms. Plum."

When they finally got outside, they looked at each other. Finally Steph said, as they walked down the street, "Well, that was a little odd."

"Yeah." He tugged on her, "People in Trenton are weird."

"Hey!" A few minutes later, she stopped in front of her townhouse, keyed open the door, and then jumped him.

Him -

Her friends seemed nice enough. The judge was a little weird. Her neighborhood was beautiful. He shook his head as they walked up to the largest townhouse on the street. Babe, he thought.

He dropped his bag to catch her when she jumped. He didn't look around much except to find a chair. He sat, brought her down on his lap, undid his pants, slid her skirt up, pulled her underwear aside, and pushed inside her. "Ugh." She rode him until they both exploded.

"Welcome to my house," she said.

"Thanks. I hope that's not the welcome all visitors get."

"Ha! I've never had sex in this house. Can you believe that?!"

"Glad to hear it. Now you have." He flopped his head back, "Without a condom again."

"Come on, I'll show you the bedroom." She stood and straightened her clothes.

"Are there condoms in there?"

"Yep."

"Let's go."

Her -

An hour later, they were in her kitchen having a drink when they heard a car door shut. Steph ran out, and hugged Tank, Bobby, and Lester.

"Wow, nice place, Steph," Lester said.

"Thanks for having us, Stephanie," Tank said.

"I saw a bakery up the road, Steph." Bobby, remembering their last donut run.

"Duh, why do you think I moved here! Come in!"

She ushered them in, showed them their rooms, and got them a drink. They had a little while before they were going out, so she gave them each the keys she'd had made.

They all stared at it, and then at her. "Well, two things - first, I don't want you ringing the bell in the middle of the night if you stay out later than me; and second, I want you guys to come and go as you please. This weekend and whenever you need a place to stay. Door is always open. Or, well, it will be with that key."

"Thanks, Babe," he said kissing her lips. And then each of the others kissed her cheek and thanked her, too. They each carefully put the key in their pockets.

Tank -

Well, holy shit, he thought. Ranger's woman just gave us all keys to her house. He felt like he'd been adopted.

Lester-

Maybe Ranger will get hit by a bus, and then he could have her. Nah, he thought, she's too good for him.

Bobby-

She's a keeper. Terrible eating habits and all. Lucky bastard.

Him -

He didn't know if Steph could fully appreciate what her gesture meant to a group of military men constantly on the move. The promise of a place always open to them - he was a lucky bastard.


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

Her -

The guys heard the barking and looked around. "That's Rap," she told them and went to open her back door. "She's my neighbor's dog, but comes over a lot. Hope you're animal people!"

Right before pushing the door open, she said, "Watch this; full-body wiggle!"

"Hi Rap! How are you!" And she laughed as she came running in, wiggling so hard her body was almost in half sometimes. She ran around to smell the guys, and they reached down to pet her. She jumped a little, and fell over her feet.

"Boxer?" Tank asked, squatting down to play with her.

"Yep. She's six months old. Her training is a work in progress. She's my buddy, aren't you, Rap?" She petted her head. "You want a treat?" Rap burst into another fit of wiggles, unable to contain herself.

They heard, "Rap, where the hell are you, you crazy bitch?!"

She told the guys, "That's my neighbor, Mike. Rap is the bane of his existence and the love of his life."

When Mike popped his head through the door too, she waved him in. "I told her she needed a bath and she took off."

Steph laughed and said, "Well, if you'd fix the grass, she wouldn't get dirty." He flicked her off. She told the guys, "Rap's newest trick is digging. We took down the fence between our two yards so she'd have more room to run, and Mike is supposed to be totally on yard duty. He's failing miserably. We have a two foot hole, all dirt."

Steph introduced Mike and the guys. Mike grabbed a beer out of her fridge and asked them if they'd seen the media room. Lester, Bobby, and Tank perked up and followed him down the steps.

"A dog, Babe?" Rap was sitting next to him, apparently mesmerized just like all other women, as he rubbed her soft floppy ears.

"What? It's perfect. I get the joy of playing with her, and that jackass has to handle all the work. I love her. She loves me. It's simple. She might love you, too," she said watching her. "Come on. Let's go see the boys and their toys."

Rap followed them down, and hopped up on one of the chairs. They walked in to hear Mike telling them how Steph came home last month and asked him to get the room set up with Xbox.

"I may never leave here, Steph," Lester said sitting in a lazy boy. She looked around and laughed. It was a pretty sweet room - cushy couch and chairs, side bar, giant TV, stereo, darts, and French doors out to the back yard and back patio.

"I rarely come down here. The house is too big for me, but Mike convinced me to get it since it was a quick sale and about the same price as the smaller ones. Now, you guys can use it," she told them smiling. "That fridge is stocked with drinks; help yourself."

They looked over to see Rap fighting a pillow. Mike yelled, "Rapunzel! Drop it!"

They all looked at Mike. "Dude, you named your dog Rapunzel?" This from Bobby.

Mike hid his face in his hands. "I'm never going to get laid again."

Steph, choking in laughter, explained that Mike had taken his niece to pick the puppy up. She'd pleaded to name it and Mike, being a sucker, agreed. Now he had a boxer puppy named Rapunzel. "So his poor niece comes to visit him, and wants to know why the dog doesn't know her name yet. We all call her Rap, she doesn't really respond to Rapunzel."

"And Mike, these guys are chick magnets. Maybe they can help you with the Lovely Lana, who I believe is coming tonight." She told them about Mike's efforts, and they all assured him - probably out of pity - they'd try to help.

Back upstairs, Carlos said, "A lot going on here, Babe."

"Seems like it. Not normally, though. Usually it's just me. Sometimes Rap stays for an evening or a night when Mike is gone. She chases birds, I work." She leaned into him, "I'm so glad you're here."

"Me too, Babe. It was a long couple weeks."

"You're telling me!" She sighed when her cell rang. "Ugh, office." She let it go to voicemail. "Okay, nevermind. I probably need to listen to that." She hit speaker and listened.

"Stephanie, I don't know what the hell is going on, but I don't want you working this weekend. At all. If you've got something due, call me and tell me. Someone else will do it. I mean it, Steph, pencil down. No work this weekend." And then she heard him mumble, "Weird shit."

"What in the world?" She looked at Carlos. "That's my boss." Then, "Crap. I guess I should call him back." She did, and asked him what was going on.

"Smith called the boss. Said he would take it as a personal favor to him - if you had the weekend off. Said you had an important commitment this weekend. What the fuck is he talking about? Nevermind, I don't care. Whatever. We don't care what you're doing. Don't work. We can't afford to piss him off. No work, Steph. None."

She told him she was good, had already caught up on everything. Hanging up, she looked at Carlos, "I think you are my important commitment. Judge Smith must think I'm 'keeping the troops happy.'"

"You're certainly keeping me happy. The rest of the troops can fend for themselves. Mine." He said reaching for her.

"Come, want to help me pick out my outfit for the night, Soldier?" She wiggled her eyebrows and pulled him into her room and shut the door.


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

Her -

She wore jeans and a halter top. She decided on that after Carlos kept putting his hands up under her micro-mini dress. She didn't want her ass hanging out for all to see. He didn't either, so he took it off her soon after she put it on.

Him -

When they emerged a little while later, they walked out to an empty family room. He assumed that was because Steph wasn't as quiet as she thought, but he'd never tell her that. He loved her sounds.

She poked her head downstairs and asked if they were ready. Mike had taken Rap home, and was already back. He wondered idly how long they'd been in her room.

They walked the few blocks to "Metro" - a popular bar / club. Steph's friends had already arrived and pulled a few high tables together. Les wagged his eyebrows at him. They'd gotten a look at some of Steph's female friends and the other women roaming around. The guys would be in good shape tonight. Not as good as him, he thought, but they'd have a good time.

They met Lana on the way in. She was pretty in an ice princess kind of way. Long pale blonde hair, clear blue eyes, willowy body. She was quiet, and appeared to have come alone. She also appeared to be the exact opposite of Mike, who'd taken to him and the guys quickly.

"We all here, Steph?" one of the guys asked.

She looked around, knowing where this was heading. "Yeah, I think so."

The guy, Jason, started, "Before this becomes a fucked up mess, well, before we become a fucked up mess, let's get this done! I pick tonight and, in honor of Steph's friends, I pick a shot called the 'Army Ranger.' Be right back."

Her -

Carlos and the guys looked confused. She explained - they didn't all get together as much as they'd like, outside of a quick drink after work, so when they did, they always started with a shot. One of them picked the shot and got it. They all did it, and then everyone was on their own.

Jason returned with a bartender and a tray. "We googled this and found it when I got here. It's rum, red bull, and jäger." They passed them out, and everyone waited for the go sign. When Jason said, "Cheers! Go!" everyone downed their shot.

"Holy shit! My mouth is on fire," Steph said, eyes watering. She nudged Carlos with an elbow when he smirked at her. He'd downed his shot with no problem.

Him -

They'd drank their weight in beer, danced some, and were sweaty. He'd used his time on the dance floor wisely, feeling her up at every chance. He'd guided her moves, much like their first night at the beach bar two months ago, except this time he had no boundary.

They were leaning against a wall near the door trying to cool off when Steph mentioned that Dickie hadn't been able to use the honeymoon trip. She told him they forfeited it if not used by the end of the calendar year. "So, I was wondering," she paused.

"What, Babe?"

"Would you want to go with me? Over Christmas and through New Year's?" She looked hesitant. She pushed on, "I know it's a lot. It's not a big deal if you don't want to go or can't go."

"Steph. Stop," he said, pulling her closer. "Why wouldn't I want to go to an island with just you? In a bikini. Naked." She watched his eyes darken, and ran her hand through his hair. "I haven't had you all to myself yet. Let me see if I can work the time out. I want to go."

He leaned down to kiss her. When he came up, "Besides, I am all about celebrating your decision not to marry Dickie. It brought you to the beach that day, and to me." He kissed her again, longer this time. He knew tomorrow was the day she was supposed to marry Dickie, and asked her if she regretted her decision at all.

She stared at him with wide eyes. "No! Zero." She put her hands on his face. "I'm so in love with you. I'm so scared I'll screw this up."

His chest tightened. "Babe. I'm so in love with you, too." He rested his forehead on hers. "And if you screw this up, I'll fix it." They stayed like that until the group descended upon them accusing them of being anti-social.

Most everyone was piss drunk by midnight. Carlos was drunk, but not nearly as bad as the rest of them. No one had left yet, but some were fading, including Steph.

Lana was getting ready to walk out, and he and Steph offered to walk her home. They waved to everyone, and reminded the guys about their keys. He listened to Lana, and decided he liked her - he could tell she was smart even though she was smashed. Steph convinced her to come over for the cookout tomorrow late afternoon, and he could see Steph's impaired wheels spinning about her and Mike. He shook his head.

They took a quick shower to get rid of the smoky and sweaty smell when they got home. While Steph finished up, he laid down naked on the floor to crack his back. She came out, saw him, and stumbled, going down near him. Seeing an opportunity, he pulled her towel off of her. "Top or bottom, Steph?"

"For what?"

"69, Babe."

"Huh? Never done that."

He shook his head, but actually liked that he was the one to show her things. He picked her up, and flipped her so she was on top of him in the opposite direction. He showed her what he'd do, and pushed her head down to show her what she'd do. She caught on fast, even drunk.

They dozed for a while on the floor, until Carlos woke to the sound of the front door shutting. He rolled over and hopped up to check, and found the guys in the kitchen. He grabbed a water, and listened to their stories, uncaring that he was naked. "You smell like sex, asshole," Les told him. Carlos, smug and loose, stretched, "Jealous?" He grabbed another water, and left before Lester could muster a response.


End file.
